please log in to view this image please log in to view this image Hello and welcome to the official match thread for Thursday’s Europa League round of 32 first-leg encounter between Zenit St. Petersburg & Liverpool. The game is scheduled to take place at the Petrovsky Stadium on Thursday 14th of February 2013 with a kick-off time of 5PM. ITV4 will be showing the game. (Build-up begins at 4.30PM) Preview. After a two-month break, the Europa League returns on Thursday and in one of the 16 games, Liverpool travel to Russia to take on Zenit St Petersburg in the first leg of their round of 32 tie. Liverpool finished top of their Group with 10 points from six games. This meant that Liverpool were level on points with Anzhi Makhachkala and BSC Young Boys but Liverpool’s superior record in the head-to-head games with Anzhi & Young Boys meant that Liverpool finished top of Group A. Zenit St Petersburg were in the Champions League at the start and were in Group C alongside Malaga, AC Milan & Anderlecht. It wasn’t the Champions League campaign that Luciano Spalletti & the Zenit fans would have wanted. Zenit finished 3rd in Group C with seven points from six games which they finished behind Malaga & AC Milan in the group and this meant that Zenit dropped into the Europa League round of 32 and will now be looking to progress as far as they can in the Europa League. With this being the first leg of the two-legged encounter, it seems unlikely that both sides will go charging out for the victory and this could result in a cagey encounter. Zenit’s home record suggests that they will be very hard to beat: That is an excellent record at home and certainly suggests that Liverpool will find it difficult to take a victory away from St Petersburg and back to Anfield. Liverpool have already travelled to Russia once this season to take on another wealthy Russian club in Anzhi Makhachkala and before that game, Anzhi’s strong home record was cited. Anzhi had won their last four European home games without conceding a goal. It was a relatively inexperienced side that played in that game and they certainly didn’t disgrace themselves with Liverpool going down to a Lacina Traore goal on the stroke of half-time. This meant that Liverpool lost for the second time in Russia and shows a mixed record playing away in Russia. Liverpool have played four times in Russia and have a record of two wins & two defeats. A mixed bag for the Reds in Russia but they will be looking to avoid a third defeat at the very least on Thursday. Zenit also have a mixed bag of results against English sides. They have played English sides five times and their record reads as follows: 3 wins and 2 defeats. Their most recent tie against English opposition was the UEFA Super Cup final in 2008. They took on Manchester United and came out 2-1 winners. This may be the first meeting between the two sides but Zenit have experience of playing a club from Merseyside. In the 2007/2008 UEFA Cup, they travelled to Liverpool to take on Everton. A late Tim Cahill goal gave Everton a 1-0 victory. Zenit did go on to win the tournament that year though so it didn’t affect them too much! Onto the potential teams now and Zenit have a vast array of talent to choose from. Zenit are owned by Gazprom (The Russian energy company) and with recent profits of $44BN, they certainly aren’t short of a few quid… Big name players include the Portuguese midfielder Danny, the Belgian midfielder Alex Witsel & the Brazilian international Givanildo Vieira de Souza… That’s Hulk to you and me. Those three joined Zenit for a combined rumoured fee of £90M. Serious money but some serious talent to go with it! The one player who Liverpool will pay special attention to is Hulk. He hasn’t had the best scoring record for Zenit so far (4 goals in 16 games) and his time in Russia has been overshadowed somewhat with arguments with the management and issues with racial abuse targeted at him from some sections of Zenit’s support. Despite this, he is still an excellent player and his record from Porto is certainly a record to pay attention to. (54 goals in 99 games) His record this season is actually rather good (11 goals in 22 games) but a large portion of these goals have come from Brazil. His strength and power that comes out of his left-foot make him a formidable opponent and the Liverpool defence will need to watch him carefully if he gets any match-time on Thursday. Onto Liverpool now and it’s more difficult to predict their team. With Brendan Rodgers and his side having played West Brom earlier on tonight and a Premier League game with Swansea City on Sunday, changes could be made by Rodgers. The likes of Steven Gerrard & Luis Suarez may be rested in preparation for the Swansea game on Sunday and the second leg of this game next Thursday. (21st of February) This could give the likes of Fabio Borini & Jonjo Shelvey the chance to impress Rodgers and force their way back into the side on a more regular basis. Borini has just returned from a three-month lay-off with a foot injury so the chance to play on Thursday, build up his match fitness and potentially get on the scoresheet is important. Shelvey is the joint third highest goalscorer in this season’s competition with 4 goals (Level with five other players including Tottenham’s Jermaine Defoe) and most of Shelvey’s game time this season has come in the Europa League. He has impressed in Europe this season and Thursday’s game could be another chance for Shelvey to stake a claim for more minutes in the Premier League for Liverpool. One more player for Liverpool who could be important is the ex-Zenit defender Martin Skrtel. Skrtel joined Zenit in 2004 from FK AS TrenčÃn and played 113 times for Zenit before Rafa Benitez signed him for Liverpool in January 2008. He has been forced out of the side in recent weeks by Jamie Carragher but he could be given a starting spot in Thursday’s game and it’s up to him to impress against his former club and try to force his way back into the centre-back position alongside Daniel Agger. So, an important game in prospect! Can Zenit maintain their impressive record at home and take a positive result to Anfield on the 21st of this month? Or can Liverpool become the second side in twenty games to beat Zenit at home and give themselves a big advantage going into the second leg? You’ll find out the answers to these questions, and more, on the official match thread on the Not606 Liverpool board. Do join in. (That includes the guests that read this thread. Sign up and get involved!) Injury News. Zenit St Petersburg. Injury news currently unavailable. Liverpool. Martin Kelly: ACL Knee Injury. Suspension News. Zenit St Petersburg. No suspensions currently recorded. Liverpool. No suspensions currently recorded. [COLOR="00666ff"]Zenit St Petersburg[/COLOR] 2 - 0 Liverpool Goalscorers: Zenit St Petersburg... Hulk: 70th minute. Zenit St Petersburg... Sergei Semak: 72nd minute. Zenit St Petersburg: Malafeev - Anyukov Neto Lombaerts Hubocan - Fayzulin Shirokov Denisov Witsel Semak - Hulk SUBS: Zhevnov Luković Rodic Danny Kerzhakov Evseev Dordević - Zenit St Petersburg Substitution: Danny comes off to be replaced by Sergei Semak. (54th minute) Zenit St Petersburg Substitution: Aleksandr Kerzhakov comes off to be replaced by Viktor Fayzulin. (82nd minute) - Liverpool: Reina - Johnson Carragher Skrtel Enrique - Allen Lucas - Downing Gerrard Henderson - Suarez SUBS: Jones Wisdom Coates Shelvey Suso Sterling Borini - Liverpool Substitution: Raheem Sterling comes off to be replaced by Lucas Leiva. (78th minute) - YNWA.
We're gonna get ****in' hosed. 3-0 to Zenit. 2-2 in the second leg. Brendan will say we're progressing and the players, especially Borini, gave everything he asked.
Reina Wisdom, Skrtel, Coates, Johnson Shelvey, Henderson, Allen Borini, Suarez, Assaidi Nothing to play for in the league so might aswell take a strongish side & try to win the Europa. We won't because the teams left are much better than us but might aswell give it a go.
We haven't won while dominating so I guess we should try parking the bus with a 5-4-1 and see how that fairs out
I'll wait to hear from RHC who got on the plane to fly over there tomorrow. for me suarez is now patently obviosuly off form and needs about a weeks rest... oh he'll get it on the fa cup weekends but thats not now so this game is coming too soon. I cannot predict who we'll pick but it seems to me that this comp is not only our only chance of silverware but also our only hope of european football qualification. as people have said.... the league cup goes to the swans and the only way that slot comes back to the league is if bradford win it! there's an fa cup slot and the top 4 are always likely there... so in effect i think 6ths is the very worst position a europa slot goes to and we are not up to it. we cannot play anyone inthe top 10 and win it seems... swansea look too big a challenge for our lot and that'll end our hopes before tottenham come and put the boot in. all in all rodgers needs to hang his hat on something and it may as well be a league cup... frankly it'd not suprise me loking a tthis that he'd be the second man since shankley arrived that has not won a cup for LFC... hodgson being the first. Roll on thursday and a chance to see how a non pressing side will allow us to tap it about for 90mins and get 0-0.
Doubt I'll be able to help here. My mate is flying out with the team, but we're not going to be texting each other whilst he's freezing his knackers off in -15C. Ask the yank fanny about 'bib theory'
------------Reina------------ ---Wisdom-Skrtel-Coates---- -Johnson---Allen---Downing- ---------Henderson---------- ---Suso---Suarez---Borini---
bib theory is terrible. its rarely right. you ought to insist he texts you beofre he gets on that plane so you know whos travelled anyway..... i think LFC will play for the tight draw. the difference is TOMORROW UTD are going to go for an away goal cos they know they'll need one. just watch.
he deserves it... the bib theory is a whole 50% right most of the time. I eman at least half the first 11 will wear a bib of one colour or the toher and you thinkif this theory was rife the team would simply swtich colours each week. the camera guy turns up and snaps shots the day before the game and he always turns up just when the team goign to play is wokring on set peices or something? sighs.... you get me my team news! if i hear suarez is not on the plane or gerrard i won't be shocked... I'll be remembering martin o'niell losing the villa support by bring youths to russia and losing... think of the guys paying £1000 or more to ge tout there to support our team and you guys are putting out coates in your selections.. I'll not be shocked by anything
If we don't play our strongest eleven and go for this trophy I am going to be seriously pissed. We may not actually win it but since we've done ****all else we need to at least show the effort in this. I will be equally pissed off if BR takes Henderson (who I considered to be part of said strongest eleven) off again!! PS...I imagine its quality effort again Chris
this i agree, i'm done having a whinge at things and have accepted 7th or 8th as our fate. Looking forward to european football all week.
I accepted sixth to eighth as our fate back in October but yesterday's game really REALLY pissed me off! But, like a few others, I'm done with yesterdays match and want to move on.
